TwentyNineAcceptance
by MistressMaryD
Summary: Clay descends into the Abyss. Thirteen tries to understand why. OC, Character Death, Language.


TwentyNine/Acceptance

"_I go on forever, older burns are overturned. My life for worse or better; I'm just craving for a cure. Like a man possessed, a requiem. I know, but I don't. I'm blind in every other eye. Cold hands, colder smoke." Get Up Kids – "Like A Man Possessed"_

The pressure on the fissure. The cracks reaching ever outward. The splintering pieces, broken pieces. The fracture finally gives and the pieces fall. They fall into the abyss.

A loud clattering sound drew her out of an uneasy slumber. Her door was open; that was a bad sign. Slowly, cautiously, she tip-toes through the hall leading to the Animus room. She follows the sound. She steps in something warm and slick. Eyes narrowed, she looks down, picking up her bare foot. Blood. Obscenely red and standing out against the white surface.

She slides across the floor as she runs into the room; having to catch a desk to keep from slipping. And there he is; bleeding out as he sits on the floor; back leaning against the Animus. Haunted eyes flutter weakly at the noise she makes coming in; locking on Subject Thirteen. Even weaker smile. He speaks and blood dribbles down his chin. "'m sorry. I waited…until you were asleep. I didn't - " He coughs and more liquid red bubbles up and spills over. "Didn't want you to see."

She scrambles over, on her hands and knees; slipping and sliding in the blood. "What did you do!" She whispers, tears blurring her vision as she finds the most serious wound, the slice to his jugular; and presses down as hard as she can. The blood leaks between her fingers; sickly slowly. He makes a choked noise. "Juno said to enter the abyss. Leave a mark." He replies.

She's just shaking her head as she watches him. "_What_?" She asks, choked up and crying. Sluggishly, he turns his head to give her his full attention. "It's more important than you know. You'll – " He pauses to take a shaking breath and coughs again. "You'll understand." He tells her, but she can't think about the meaning to his words. She's too shocked to do much else aside from try to keep him from bleeding out. "She's a traitor…don't trust her…"

She knows it's a futile effort. She knows she can't help him. She can't save the man who saved her from herself.

"No, no, no." She moans, pressing harder against the self-inflicted wound; even though it's not bleeding much anymore. Clay heaves a sigh, reaching up with a shaking hand and the fingers close around her left wrist. "I'm sorry." He whispers, closing his eyes and resting his head back.

Sobbing openly, keeping one hand on the wound and grabbing his chin with the other; she gives him a little shake. "Clay? Goddamnit, don't do this! Don't you leave me!" She starts out angry, shouting through her sobs at his body.

The anger gives in to realization. Not acceptance, but awareness of what has just happened.

She releases the wound on his neck and looks at her hands, stained with his blood. She's covered in it. She gives a loud wail into the empty room and collapses against the machine; reaching out and twisting her hand in his bloody shirt. Heavy sobs wrack her entire body and she chokes on them.

The warmth has left him by the time someone finds them. Her sobbing has stopped, but the tears have not. She hears footsteps, but doesn't care. She lets them approach, but doesn't even acknowledge them. "Thirteen?" Lucy Stillman's soft voice calls out. The woman reaches out to her and touches her shoulder. "Don't fucking touch me." Subject Thirteen spits at her in Portuguese. She knows this is who Clay was talking about when he said 'She's a traitor.'

Lucy's hand retracts quickly.

Eventually, Thirteen lets them pull her away from Clay's body. She doesn't speak, doesn't react. She showers in her room, washes the rest of his blood from her hands. She turns the name Juno over and over in her head. She wonders if what he said was born from the Bleeding Effect; like her own rants and babble.

Later that same day, she enters the Animus without struggle. She lets her ancestor lead the way, thankful for the break.

She goes through the next few weeks in a haze; a lethargic haze. She tries to figure out why.

.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

"Hey," Desmond's soft voice calls her out of her memories. She turns to him with a weak, forced smile. "Hey." Her voice cracks. He frowns. "Wanna talk about it?" He asks, sitting next to her in the grass; so close their shoulders touch. She shakes her head forcefully. "You know this story." She says as the tears slide down her face. "This is the day he died."

It's been a year since Sixteen took his own life.

Desmond's silent for a few moments; the sound of the wind blowing through the field filling up the space in his silence. "I'm sorry." He whispers, wrapping his arms around Thirteen. She wants to pull away from him; to be alone with her thoughts; her guilt. Instead, she twists her body, buries her face in his shoulder and cries quietly.

Unbeknownst to them, William sees the whole exchange. He inhales deeply, and takes a step; intending to approach them. He knows what this is about. A hand at his shoulder stops him. "Bill, leave it alone." Shaun tells him before turning and going back to the hideout; joining the novices and giving them their assignments.

William watches his son and Thirteen for a few more seconds. He shakes his head, thinking of his mistake; before he follows Shaun back inside. He remembers the day too.


End file.
